York shows Mary Portas how to save the High Street, says LISA BYRNE

DIMINUTIVE Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was believed to have branded our country a nation of shopkeepers but, sadly, our very own Queen of Shops, Mary Portas, could be forgiven for feeling this is no longer true.

Mary has been fighting to bring back economic growth to local retail outlets through the Government-backed Save The High Street campaign.

Launched in 2012, it attempted to stop the surge in shop closures. Twelve towns, including Bedford and Stockport, shared a £1.2million grant in a desperate bid to encourage vibrant shopping areas.

Unfortunately, figures last week revealed the campaign has failed as, since its launch, the towns have lost nearly one in five of their shops, which mirrors a similar decline across the country. Forthright Mary is blaming the Government, for not creating proper policies and not scrapping business rates. She said: "We need real policy change. Business needs to be at the heart of planning as the Government decides what kind of country we want to live in because the high street is the heart of every community."

It's a very sad indictment of a country that used to thrive on local shopping. The days when you'd enjoy a ramble down the road to pick up anything from a loaf to light bulbs, while at the same time having a gossip with the shopkeeper and fellow customers, appear long gone. It's difficult to form any kind of relationship with the Amazon delivery person, lovely as they may be, or pour your heart out to an automated supermarket self-scanner.

If you wish to mingle with the public there's always the gargantuan out-of-town shopping centres but they can be soulless and lacking in personal service. With such a severe absence of retail community interaction it's no wonder there has been a significant growth in people confessing to feeling lonely and isolated.

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Mary Portas has been fighting to bring back economic growth to local retail outlets

However, there has been the odd success story which could prove inspirational to those wishing to save their local community...

One of these "retail miracles" happened in York and, no, I'm not talking about the world-famous cobbled streets of Stonegate and The Shambles, which buzz with locals and tourists alike. This magical phenomenon took place in run-down Bishopthorpe Road, now known affectionately as Bishy Road, and its transformation appears to have happened purely by chance.

A few years ago, this neglected area was suffering a slow economic death, worsened by the closure of nearby Terry's chocolate factory. Houses were cheap and the main drag looked shabby, often with many shops vacant on a relatively short road. Then, in 2010, local traders attended a Greenpeace conference in the city where they heard of the benefits of closing streets to traffic and throwing them open for community events.

The shopkeepers decided they had nothing to lose. Taking the advice on board they threw a party, believing only a handful would turn up, but within 15 minutes a 3,000-strong throng arrived.

Realising this was a eureka moment, shop owner Johnny Hayes swiftly set up Bishopthorpe Road Traders' Association, of which he became chairman, to promote the area as a great place to shop, live, socialise and work. "This single street party made us think that there was a future here for traders and locals," he says. "We started to get the community involved by organising legendary street parties, fun events such as dog shows, food festivals and putting up bunting and Christmas lights. It just snowballed."

GOOGLE MAPS

Bishy Road, York

All this hard work has paid off. More independent shops and cafés moved into the area, now hailed as the Notting Hill of the North, making it a go-to place outside the city walls. In 2014, thousands flocked to Bishy Road to watch the Tour de France race go through, with a huge crowd the following year cheering cyclists on Tour de Yorkshire.

Today, this former grim parade plays host to a huge variety of retailers, including much-loved M&K butchers, the Pig & Pastry café (a favourite meeting place for mothers on the school run) and the wonderful antiques emporium Bishopgate Antiques. And this staggering metamorphosis led to Bishy Road receiving the ultimate accolade of being named Great British High Street Of The Year in 2015.

The reformation took an even more surreal twist after assistants for US Vogue editor Anna Wintour requested a blow-dry from Sarah Cotton, creative director at Bang salon when Ms Wintour visited York University for a fashion event last year.

"The house prices round here have gone through the roof and all 35 shops are full," says Mr Hayes with pride. "If a trader did vacate, the shop would be snapped up immediately. People flock to the area each day to meet for coffee or have a browse round the shops."

Pippy Maynard, owner of children's shoe shop Hopscotch, is also astounded. "It used to be an awful area but now it's buzzing. Everyone loves visiting, whether they're families, students or the elderly. Locals tell me they'd much rather shop here than go to a supermarket or an outlet because of the friendly community."

But apart from the enthusiastic locals what does Mr Hayes believe is the ultimate secret ingredient for Bishy Road's revolutionary conversion from a dilapidated street to national success story? "In all honesty, I think the simple answer is investment in independent shops. Many of the bigger chains don't seem to be surviving across the country but lots of smaller retailers are thriving and have kept Bishy Road and York city centre alive," he says.

He's also an advocate of modern technology. "We use social media a lot to drum up interest, especially over organised events, so a strong online atmosphere is essential. But the most important thing is to possess a vibrant community spirit, where you look out for each other, which is what we've nurtured here over the years. We are just so lucky to have Bishy Road."